Benbrook Field: Difference between revisions

Benbrook Field
Camp Taliaferro Field #2
Benbrook Field; Camp Taliaferro Field #2
Benbrook, Texas
	Benbrook Field, Texas, 1918 Benbrook Field
Coordinates	32°40′41″N 97°27′36″W / 32.67806°N 97.46000°W
Type	Pilot training airfield
Site information
Controlled by	Royal Flying Corps (1917); Air Service, United States Army (1918-1921)
Condition	Redeveloped into urban area
Site history
Built	1917
In use	1917–1921
Battles/wars	World War I
Garrison information
Garrison	Training Section, Air Service

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Revision as of 15:34, 26 March 2013

Benbrook Field (Camp Taliaferro Field #2) is a former World War I military airfield, located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) North of Benbrook, Texas. It operated as a training field for the Air Service, United States Army between 1917 until 1919. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I in April 1917. ^[1]

The airfield was established by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1916 as one of three airfields (also Hicks Field and Barron Field) to train American pilots who entered the Canadian military before the United States entry into World War I. Canadians named the training complex Camp Taliaferro after Walter Taliaferro, a US aviator who had been killed in an accident.

History

After the United States' entry into World War I in April 1917, General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing invited the British Royal Flying Corps to establish training fields in Texas for the training of American and Canadians volunteers because of its mild weather. After looking at sites in Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, Wichita Falls and Midland, three sites were established in 1917 in the Fort Worth vicinity; one each in North Fort Worth, Everman and Benbrook (known as the "Flying Triangle.")

The Benbrook Field station area was located south of Mercedes Street in Benbrook. It occupied the area west of Winscott Road, being bordered on the west by Walnut Creek. A railroad spur connected with the Texas & Pacific line across Walnut Creek. Most of the 34 buildings and hangers were located in an area generally bounded by Mercedes Street on the north, Winscott Road on the east, Cozby North Street on the south, and Walnut Creek on the west.

The Royal Flying Corps used the airfield in Benbrook from October 1917 to April 1918, when they were turned over to the U.S. Army. Taliafero Field No. 3, later renamed Carruthers Field (after Cadet W.K. Carruthers who was killed on June 18, 1917). When the U.S. entered the war, the field was renamed Benbrook Field and served to train American pilots as well.

Benbrook was used as an aerial gunnery school for American & Canadian students. One particular Canadian aviator, Captain Vernon Castle, was already world renown as the famed dance team of Vernon & Irene Castle. Regrettably, he was killed in a plane crash at Benbrook Field during training exercises. Some witnesses believed that he deliberately crashed in order to avoid hitting another plane, and saved their lives. His burial was witnessed by thousands of mourners, who sadly watched the flagged draped casket pass in downtown Fort Worth. Even today, there is a street in Benbrook named in his honor.

Today, the entire area has been redeveloped into in what is now the Benbrook Lakeside subdivision. Intermixed within the houses are small, broken, isolated concrete slabs, the remainders of wartime buildings and hangars. The last remaining building was an ammunition warehouse west of U.S. 377 that was demolished in 2004 to facilitate future commercial development. Today a Texas historical marker for the airfield is located north of Mercedes Street, across the street from the Ridge Community Church as a memorial to the fliers of Benbrook Field.